"Timothy Zahn - Cobra 2 - Cobra Strike" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

the meeting, so I'll just come with him when we're finished."
"All right. Around six?"
"Fine. See you then."
He walked her to her car and watched as she drove off. Then, with a sigh, he went to his own car
and headed for the Dominion Building. Why, he wondered, did the internal problems of his own
family always seem more insurmountable than those facing three entire worlds? Probably, he thought
flippantly, because there isn't anything the Council can do anymore to surprise me.
He would afterward recall that thought and its unfortunate timing ... and wince.
Chapter 2
The Council of Syndics—its official title—had in the early days of the colony been just that: a
grouping somewhat low-key of the planet's syndics and governor-general which met at irregular
intervals to discuss any problems and map out the general direction they hoped the colony would
grow in. As the population increased and beachheads were established on two other worlds, the
Council grew in both size and political weight, following the basic pattern of the distant
Dominion of Man. But unlike the Dominion, this outpost of humanity numbered nearly three thousand
Cobras among its half-million people. The resulting inevitable diffusion of political power had
had a definite impact on the Council's makeup. The rank of governor had been added between the
syndic and governor-general levels, blunting the pinnacle of power just a bit; and at all levels
of government the Cobras with their double vote were welt represented.
Corwin didn't really question the political philosophy which had produced this modification of
Dominion structure; but from a purely utilitarian point of view he often found the sheer size of
the 75-member Council unwieldy.
Today, though, at least for the first hour, things went smoothly. Most of the discussion—including
the
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Timothy Zahn
points Corwin raised—focused on older issues which had already had the initial polemics thoroughly
wrung out of them. A handful were officially given resolution, the rest returned to the members
for more analysis, consideration, or simple foot-dragging; and as the agenda wound down it began
to look as if the meeting might actually let out early,
And then Governor-General Brom Stiggur dropped a pocket planet-wrecker into the room.
It began with an old issue. "You'll remember the report of two years ago," he said, looking around
the room, "in which the Farsearch team concluded that, aside from our three present worlds, no
planets exist within at least a 20-light-year radius of Aventine that we could expand to in the
future. It was agreed at the time that our current state of population and development hardly
required an immediate resolution of this long-term problem."
Corwin sat a bit straighter in his seat, sensing similar reactions around him. Stiggur's words
were neutral enough, but something explosive seemed to be hiding beneath the carefully controlled
inflections of his voice.
"However," the other continued, "in the past few days something new has come to light, something
which I felt should be presented immediately to this body, before even any follow-up studies were
initiated." Glancing at the Cobra guard standing by the door, Stiggur nodded. The man nodded in
turn and opened the panel ... and a single Troft walked in.
A faint murmur of surprise rippled its way around the room, and Corwin felt himself tense
involuntarily as the alien made its way to Stiggur's side. The Trofts had been the Worlds' trading


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